bars and restaurants

Nancy loves a new Phinney Ridge restaurant. Dick's thrilled that his favorite diner has opened a Seattle location.

When Nancy Leson's husband, Mac, didn't get her a new toaster for their 21st anniversary, she bravely hid her disappointment. But it all worked out better than okay when he took her to dinner at their new favorite restaurant.

People eating out at restaurants in King County will soon have a new way of seeing how safe those eating establishments are. Public Health — Seattle & King County is developing a grading display to show how restaurants have performed in their food safety inspections. The information will be required to be posted so that customers can see it when dining out.

Program manager Becky Elias says they’re looking at a half dozen possible designs and asking the public for feedback.

For the past few years, my friends and I have noticed two trends when dining. First, seemingly every high-end menu rebukes factory farming with an essay about locally sourced pork belly, and second, just about every one of these restaurants looks so much like a factory — with exposed light bulbs, steel details and brick walls — that I'm constantly looking over my shoulder for the foreman.

Still ordering gazpacho and sliders at your favorite restaurant? Not pre-screening restaurant menus before you make a reservation? Well, hop in the DeLorean and set the chronometer to 2013: You're really behind the times.

From state-run to the now-privatized sale of liquor, poor communication between local watering holes and their distributors is creating a headache for bar owners ... and soon, a jump in costs will likely have you paying more for a drink.